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Here's a new edition of "Directors at the Box Office", which seeks to explore the directors' trajectory at the box office and analyze their hits and bombs. I already talked about a few, and as I promised, it's Ang Lee's turn.
Lee's father, a respect principal, was hoping that his son would become a professor. But he was disappointed when his son failed his high school exam twice, forcing him to attend a less privileged university. Seeing Ingmar Bergman's film The Virgin Spring was a formative experience for him. After finishing his mandatory military service, he moved to the United States to complete his studies. He wanted to become an actor, but his struggle with English made him move into directing. After finally meeting a few contacts in the industry, he started working as a director.
From a box office perspective, how reliable was he to deliver a box office hit?
That's the point of this post. To analyze his career.

Pushing Hands (1991)

His directorial debut. It stars Sihung Lung, Lai Wang, Bo Z. Wang, Deb Snyder and Haan Lee. It follows a Chinese tai chi master living in New York, who struggles to find his place in the world. The film shows the contrast between traditional Chinese ideas of Confucian relationships within a family and the much more informal Western emphasis on the individual.
Lee graduated from New York University Tisch School of the Arts in 1984, but had failed to find career opportunities since, working almost full-time as a house-father. During the intermediate six years, he became interested in martial arts, specifically tai chi, after reading the wuxia novel Jianghu qixia zhuan. This motivated him to write a screenplay, which brought the attention of Hsu Li-kong, a recently promoted senior manager in a major studio who had a strong interest in Lee's unique style and freshness. He invited Lee to make his directorial debut.
It had a very limited release, and it was reported that it made just $152,322 domestically. But it received acclaim in the United States and Taiwan. And that allowed Lee to finally get a chance to expand his horizon.

• Budget: N/A.
  
• Domestic gross: $152,322.
  
• Worldwide gross: $152,322.
  

The Wedding Banquet (2023)

"You are cordially invited to a wedding where everybody wants to kiss the bride... except the groom."
His second film. The film stars Gua Ah-leh, Lung Sihung, May Chin, Winston Chao and Mitchell Lichtenstein. The story concerns a bisexual Taiwanese immigrant man who marries a mainland Chinese woman to placate his parents and get her a green card. His plan backfires when his parents arrive in the United States to plan his wedding banquet and he has to hide the truth of his gay partner.
Neil Peng approached Lee with the idea in 1986 by revealing to Lee that one of their mutual friends had moved to the United States and was in a same-sex relationship without the knowledge of the man's parents. Lee and Peng began writing the screenplay two years later and were soon joined by James Schamus. Schamus wrote that the film was "first drafted in Chinese, then translated into English, re-written in English, translated back into Chinese, and eventually subtitled in Chinese and English and a dozen other languages."
The film was critically acclaimed, and became a sleeper hit, earning $23.6 million against a budget of just $1 million. Lee was on the rise.

• Budget: $1,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $6,933,459.
  
• Worldwide gross: $23,633,459.
  

Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)

"It's hard to tell where sex stops and food begins."
His third film. It stars Sihung Lung, Wang Yu-wen, Wu Chien-lien, and Yang Kuei-mei. It follows four members of the Zhu family as they navigate the challenges of love, life, tradition and family. This film deals with the transition from tradition to modernity. It is Lee's first (and to date, only film) to be shot entirely in his native Taiwan.
Like his previous films, another critical and commercial success. Lee quickly made himself a household name.

• Budget: N/A.
  
• Domestic gross: $7,294,403.
  
• Worldwide gross: $24,294,403.
  

Sense and Sensibility (1995)

"Lose your heart and come to your senses."
His fourth film. Based on the novel by Jane Austen, and it stars Emma Thompson (who also wrote the screenplay), Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman. The story follows the Dashwood sisters, members of a wealthy English family of landed gentry, as they must deal with circumstances of sudden destitution. They are forced to seek financial security through marriage.
In 1989, producer Lindsay Doran suggested adapting the novel to her colleagues. She was a lifelong fan of the novel, and vowed to make a film adaptation if she ever made it into the industry. Looking for a writer, Doran read screenplays by English and American writers until she came across a series of comedic skits, often in period settings, that actress Emma Thompson had written and decided that that was the direction she wanted for the film. As they were working on the film Dead Again, Doran hired Thompson to write the film, even though she never wrote a feature-length film before.
Thompson spent five years writing and revising the screenplay, both during and between shooting other films. Believing the novel's language to be "far more arcane than in [Austen's] later books," Thompson sought to simplify the dialogue while retaining the "elegance and wit of the original." Despite Doran's confidence, studios were reluctant to pick up the film, as Thompson never wrote a film. Columbia Pictures executive Amy Pascal supported Thompson's work and agreed to sign as the producer and distributor.
In 1993, Lee was hired to direct, basically for his work in The Wedding Banquet. Even though he was not familiar with Jane Austen, Doran felt that Lee's films, which depicted complex family relationships amidst a social comedy context, were a good fit with Austen's storylines. Viewing it as a "director for hire" job, Lee spent six months in preparing for the film, as it would have his largest budget ($16 million) by that point. Doran and Columbia asked Thompson to play Elinor herself.
The film received widespread critical acclaim, and was included on more than a hundred top-ten of the year lists, as well as one of the best Austen adaptations. It was a huge box office hit, earning $134 million worldwide. It received 7 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actress. Thompson won Best Adapted Screenplay, making her the only person to have won an Oscar for both her writing and acting (she won Best Actress two years prior). However, Lee was not nominated for Best Director, a decision that was criticized by many as Hollywood's racism against Lee and Chinese cinema in general. Lee sought to avoid turning his omission into a scandal and specifically asked the Taiwan state media not to make it a "national issue", explaining that he endured more pressure when forced to act as his country's representative.

• Budget: $16,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $43,182,776.
  
• Worldwide gross: $134,582,776.
  

The Ice Storm (1997)

"The American Dream was over. But the hangover was just beginning."
His fifth film. Based on the novel by Rick Moody, it stars Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, Elijah Wood, Katie Holmes, Glenn Fitzgerald, Jamey Sheridan and Sigourney Weaver. Set during Thanksgiving 1973, it follows two dysfunctional New Canaan, Connecticut, upper-class families who are trying to deal with tumultuous social changes of the early 1970s, and their escapism through alcohol, adultery and sexual experimentation.
The film ended Lee's winning streak at the box office, but it was still critically acclaimed.

• Budget: $18,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $8,038,061.
  
• Worldwide gross: $16,011,975.
  

Ride with the Devil (1999)

"In a no-man's land between North and South, you didn't fight for the blue or grey, you fought for your friends and your family."
His sixth film. Based on the novel Woe to Live On by Daniel Woodrell, it stars Tobey Maguire, Skeet Ulrich, Jeffrey Wright, Jewel, Simon Baker, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, James Caviezel, Thomas Guiry and Jonathan Brandis. Set during the American Civil War, it follows a group of men who join the First Missouri Irregulars, also known as the Bushwhackers — guerrilla units loyal to pro-Confederacy units of the state — and their war against Northern Jayhawkers allied with the Union army.
Despite commanding a $38 million budget, the film had a very limited three-day run, making less than $1 million. It also received mixed reviews from critics.

• Budget: $38,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $635,096.
  
• Worldwide gross: $635,096.
  

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

"A timeless story of strength, secrets, and two warriors who would never surrender."
His seventh film. Based on the Chinese novel serialized between 1941 and 1942 by Wang Dulu, it stars Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, and Chang Chen. Master Li Mu Bai, a warrior, is about to retire and gives his sword to his lover Yu Shu Lien to keep it safe. However, the sword is stolen and now an embittered Li embarks on a mission to find it.
The stunt work was mostly performed by the actors themselves and Ang Lee stated in an interview that computers were used "only to remove the safety wires that held the actors" aloft. "Most of the time you can see their faces," he added. "That's really them in the trees." The film specifically targeted Western audiences rather than the domestic audiences who were already used to Wuxia films. As a result, high-quality English subtitles were needed. Ang Lee, who was educated in the West, personally edited the subtitles to ensure they were satisfactory for Western audiences.
Whatever were the expectations for this, the film exceeded them by a large margin. After a limited release, it earned $8 million in its first wide domestic opening weekend. But the crazy thing was how insane were its legs; it didn't hit a sub $4 million weekend until its 12th wide weekend, and it even increased from some weekends. It closed with a colossal $128 million domestically, becoming the highest foreign-language film in United States, a record it still keeps, and it's twice as much as the second place, Life Is Beautiful. Worldwide, it earned $213.9 million worldwide, becoming a worldwide phenomenon and Lee's highest grossing film.
The film was widely acclaimed across the world, hailed as one of the greatest films of the century. The film led to a boost in popularity of Chinese wuxia films in the Western world, where they were previously little known, and led to films such as Hero and House of Flying Daggers, both directed by Zhang Yimou, being marketed towards Western audiences. It received 10 Oscar nominations (the most for a foreign film), including Best Picture and Best Director for Lee. It won four: Best Foreign Language Film, Best Art Direction, Best Original Score, and Best Cinematography. To this day, one of the most iconic foreign titles. Lee made history.

• Budget: $17,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $128,530,421.
  
• Worldwide gross: $213,978,518.
  

Hulk (2003)

"Unleash the fury."
His eighth film. Based on the Marvel Comics character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, it stars Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas, and Nick Nolte. The film explores Bruce Banner's origins. After a lab accident involving gamma radiation, he transforms into a giant green-skinned humanoid with superhuman strength known as the Hulk whenever stressed or emotionally provoked. The United States military pursues him, and he clashes with his biological father, who has dark plans for his son.
Since 1990, Avi Arad and Gale Ann Hurd were working on a Hulk film, but Universal was struggling in finding the right script. Hurd brought her husband Jonathan Hensleigh as co-producer the following year, and Universal hired Industrial Light & Magic to create the Hulk with computer-generated imagery. Joe Johnston was hired as director, but he eventually left to work on another film, while Zak Penn was brought to rewrite. Hensleigh subsequently rewrote the script with J. J. Abrams. Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski were also brought on board to rewrite, with Hensleigh deciding to direct the film himself despite not having directed before. By 1998, Universal put the film on hiatus due to its escalating $100 million budget and worries of Hensleigh directing his first film. $20 million was already spent on script development, computer animation, and prosthetics work. Hensleigh immediately went to rewrite the script to reduce the budget.
In 2001, Lee and his colleague James Schamus signed for the project, after Lee chose not to direct Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. He was dissatisfied with the script and commissioned Schamus for a rewrite, merging Banner's father with the Absorbing Man. Lee cited influences from King Kong, Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde, Beauty and the Beast, Faust, and Greek mythology to interpret the story. Schamus said he had found the storyline that introduced Brian Banner, allowing Lee to write a drama that again explored father-son themes. Schamus admitted to feeling pressure after the release of Spider-Man.
Eric Bana commented that the shoot was "Ridiculously serious... a silent set, morbid in a lot of ways." Lee told him that he was shooting a Greek tragedy, and that he would be making a "whole other movie" about the Hulk at Industrial Light & Magic. An example of Lee's arthouse approach to the film was taking Bana to watch a bare-knuckle boxing match. Bana would later disfavorably reflect on his experience making the film as the majority of the time he was working indoors while the rest of the cast interacted with a CGI recreation of the Hulk, somewhat limiting his screen time.
After the colossal success of Spider-Man, Universal mounted an extensive marketing campaign, which also highlighted Ang Lee's involvement. The film opened with a huge $62.1 million in its first weekend, the biggest June debut and the 16th biggest ever. However, the film had absolutely no legs at the box office. In its second weekend, it dropped a colossal 69.7%, which was the biggest for a film that opened above $20 million. In its third weekend, it fell another steep 56.3% and it kept falling until it left theaters, becoming the largest opener not to earn $150 million. It closed with $132 million domestically and $245 million worldwide. Good enough to be the 15th highest grossing film of the year and Lee's highest grossing film, but not a hit given its $137 million budget.
If Spider-Man was an immediate crowd-pleaser, Hulk was the exact opposite. It received polarizing reviews; while its ambition and style was praised, a lot criticized its CGI and very limited action ("too much talking and not enough smashing"). In subsequent years, some have praised the film as an ambitious film that deviated from the superhero formula, although it's still not widely considered as a beloved film. Lee admitted the challenges of the film, but stood proud of the film and its fans.

• Budget: $137,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $132,177,234.
  
• Worldwide gross: $245,285,165.
  

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

"Love is a force of nature."
His ninth film. Based on the short story by Annie Proulx, it stars Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams and Randy Quaid. Its plot depicts the complex romantic relationship between two American cowboys, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, in the American West from 1963 to 1983.
Screenwriter Diana Ossana discovered Annie Proulx's short story in October 1997, just days after its publication. She convinced writing partner Larry McMurtry to read it, who thought it was a "masterpiece". The pair asked Proulx if they could adapt it into a film screenplay; although she did not think that the story would work as a film, she agreed. The big challenge wasn't the script, it was about getting the film made in the first place.
Gus Van Sant attempted to make the film, hoping to cast Matt Damon and Joaquin Phoenix as Ennis and Jack, respectively. He also considered Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Ryan Phillippe and Josh Hartnett. Damon, who previously worked with Van Sant on Good Will Hunting, told the director, "Gus, I did a gay movie (The Talented Mr. Ripley), then a cowboy movie (All the Pretty Horses). I can't follow it up with a gay-cowboy movie!"
James Schamus, who was now the CEO of Focus Features, optioned the film rights in 2001. Pedro Almodovar was approached, but he felt he couldn't get his artistic freedom respected. At Ossana's request, Schamus showed the story and screenplay to Lee. Lee decided instead to make Hulk, and that film's experience left him exhausted, to the point that he considered retiring. When he was offered Brokeback, he changed his mind and agreed to direct. He was particularly drawn to the authentic rural American life and repression depicted in the story.
Ossana and McMurty suggested Heath Ledger, but the film studio thought he was not masculine enough. Regardless, Ledger got the script, who thought it was "beautiful" and put himself forward. Gyllenhaal reacted to the script positively and signed on for the role; he also did not want to miss the opportunity working with Lee and friend Ledger. Lee met with Mark Wahlberg for a role in the film, but Wahlberg declined as he was "creeped out" by the script. Gyllenhaal admired Ledger and described him as "way beyond his years as a human". Other actors were considered for the leads but Lee said they were too afraid to take on the roles.
You have to consider that while the world progressed a lot in the past years, 2005 was a very different era, so a film like Brokeback Mountain had a tough hill to climb. Some countries refused to play the film, while others censored it. LGBT films weren't big at the time, so it felt like there wouldn't be a big audience here.
And they were proven wrong.
The film debuted with $547,425 in 5 theaters, a huge $109,485 per-theater average. It had fantastic legs, eventually closing with a huge $83 million domestically. But the big surprise is that it was bigger overseas; it made $178 million worldwide, becoming Focus Features' highest grossing film. The film received universal acclaim on its release, touted as one of the greatest films of the century. It received 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. It won three: Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Original Score. In a shocking decision, it lost Best Picture to Crash, a decision that has been reviled ever since. We'd like to say it's a polarizing decision... but let's face it, there are no Crash fans nowadays. Or at least, none that prefer that to Brokeback.
But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter; Brokeback may not have won the Oscar, but it won over the general public.
It wasn't the first LGBT film, not even close. But it might have been the most influential and a huge landmark.

• Budget: $14,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $83,043,761.
  
• Worldwide gross: $178,064,141.
  

Lust, Caution (2007)

"The trap is set."
His tenth film. Based on the novella by Eileen Chang, it stars Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Tang Wei, Anupam Kher, Joan Chen, Wang Leehom and Shyam Pathak. The film is set in Hong Kong in 1938 and in Shanghai in 1942, when the city was occupied by the Imperial Japanese Army and ruled by the puppet government led by Wang Jingwei. The film depicts a group of Chinese university students from The University of Hong Kong who plot to assassinate a high-ranking special agent and recruiter working for the puppet government by luring him into a honey trap.
The actors who played university classmates, spent six months of preproduction in Hong Kong just to get into character and understand the period before filming. During this period the group of actors, including Tang Wei and Wang Leehom became very close friends. Both Tang Wei and Tony Leung Chiu-wai were asked whether the sex scenes in the movie were unsimulated. Tang Wei responded, "In the movie, we are just doing what we should do to have a baby." As for Tony Leung, he responded, "When the bodies collide with each other, it is indeed like a fake show!" The film was rated NC-17 in North America for its explicit sex scenes, and Lee made it clear he would not re-cut the film. Despite that, the version released in China was cut by about seven minutes (by Lee himself) to make it suitable for younger audiences, since China has no rating system.
The film won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, where it received critical acclaim. Due to the rating, it only earned $4 million domestically. But it was much bigger overseas, where it earned $67 million worldwide, becoming the highest grossing NC-17 film (a record it still keeps).

• Budget: $15,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $4,604,982.
  
• Worldwide gross: $67,091,915.
  

Taking Woodstock (2009)

"Take the trip."
His 11th film. Based on the memoir by Elliot Tiber and Tom Monte, it stars Demetri Martin, Paul Dano, Dan Fogler, Henry Goodman, Jonathan Groff, Emile Hirsch, Eugene Levy, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Imelda Staunton and Liev Schreiber. Elliot's parents own a motel in Catskills, New York. To overcome the family's financial crisis, Elliot offers the organisers of the Woodstock music and art festival boarding and lodging in the motel.
The film received mixed reviews, and bombed at the box office.

• Budget: $30,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $7,460,204.
  
• Worldwide gross: $9,975,737.
  

Life of Pi (2012)

"Don't lose hope."
His 12th film. Based on the novel by Yann Martel, it stars Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Rafe Spall, Gérard Depardieu and Adil Hussain. The storyline revolves around two survivors of a shipwreck who are on a lifeboat stranded in the Pacific Ocean for 227 days. One is a sixteen-year-old Indian boy named Pi Patel and the other is a ferocious Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.
Fox 2000 Pictures executive Elizabeth Gabler acquired the film rights in February 2003. M. Night Shyamalan was attached to direct, and he was expected to film it after The Village. But he dropped to instead make Lady in the Water, "I was hesitant [to direct] because the book has kind of a twist ending. And I was concerned that as soon as you put my name on it, everybody would have a different experience." Other directors considered were Alfonso Cuarón and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, both of which declined.
In 2009, Lee was hired, but the film was stuck in development hell when he asked for a $120 million budget. But the revival of 3-D motivated Fox in greenlighting the film under Lee's terms. As Lee started casting, one of the actors involved was Tobey Maguire, who would play a reporter. But it was later reported that Lee chose to cut his scenes, feeling he wanted to emphasize an entirely international cast. His scenes were re-shot with Rafe Spall.
Fox mounted an extensive marketing campaign selling the film as "the next Avatar" in terms of visuals and 3-D. And it fucking killed it at the box office. It earned $124.9 million domestically, which was considered a soft performance. But the real money was in the rest of the world; the film broke records in countries like China, United Kingdom, India and Mexico. It earned a colossal $609 million worldwide, easily becoming Lee's highest grossing film. An absolutely insane performance.
The film also received critical acclaim, praised for its CGI and 3-D. It received 11 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. And it won four: Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score, and then Lee himself won his second Oscar for Best Director, becoming the first Asian to win the award twice. And just like that, he cemented himself as one of the greatest filmmakers of our era. And here's how he celebrated it; going to In-N-Out.

• Budget: $120,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $124,987,023.
  
• Worldwide gross: $609,016,565.
  

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2016)

"To walk the path of a hero, you have to see how it all began."
His 13th film. Based on the novel by Ben Fountain, it stars Joe Alwyn, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Vin Diesel, Steve Martin, and Chris Tucker. After a horrifying battle in Iraq, Private Billy Lynn and his fellow comrades are brought home for a victory tour. Soon, he recollects the harsh realities of the war and struggles to cope with life.
The film used an unprecedented shooting and projection frame rate of 120 frames per second in 3D at 4K UHD resolution, which Lee terms the "whole shebang". It is the first feature film ever to be shot in such a high frame rate, over twice the previous record (Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, shot at 48 fps) and five times the standard speed of 24 fps. Lee undertook such a bold step after reading the book since he wanted the film to be an "immersive" and "realistic" experience of the reality and emotional journey of soldiers.
Due to the complexity involved in shooting at a very high frame rate, Lee could not afford to do many takes even for a single scene. Every shot was difficult and at the same time precious. He would rehearse every scene beforehand and would conduct regular morning meetings with the key crew members to highlight things they needed to be alert on. Shooting close-up shots in 3D with such high resolution meant the cast could not wear make-up and could not deliver less-than-authentic performances. Since no make-up was allowed, make-up artist Luisa Abel spent months of preparation on their skin tones. Throughout filming, the production team had to rethink everything, including different approaches to lighting as the camera needed extra lights due to the higher frame rates.
Due to the complexity of the film's unprecedented high frame rate and the cost of installing equipment capable of projecting the film in its intended format, only five theaters globally were equipped to show it at its highest resolution and maximum frame rate: two in the United States (one at a theater in New York City's AMC Lincoln Square where the film had its world premiere and the other in Los Angeles's the ArcLight Hollywood), and one theater each in Taipei, Beijing, and Shanghai.
The film opened in 2 theaters (New York City's AMC Lincoln Square and Los Angeles's the ArcLight Hollywood's Cinerama Dome), which were the only ones in the country to play the film at 120fps and the ticket prices at both locations running $20 or higher. It made a pretty great $114,129, which made for a fantastic $57,064 per-theater average (the third best of the year). But when it hit wide release, the film was dead on arrival. It made just $901,062 in 1,176 theaters, which was one of the worst wide debuts ever. And then, despite having its second weekend fall on Thanksgiving, it collapsed by 77.3%. It closed after just 3 weeks with only $1.7 million domestically. It fared better overseas, where China made colossal $23.7 million. Worldwide, it made just $30.9 million, making it a box office flop. Reviews were mixed, and people were polarized over the high-frame rate; some deemed it immersive and impressive, while others found it distracting and flat.

• Budget: $30,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $1,738,477.
  
• Worldwide gross: $30,930,984.
  

Gemini Man (2019)

"Who will save you from yourself?"
His 14th film. It stars Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen and Benedict Wong. The film follows a retiring Force Recon Marine scout sniper who is targeted by a much younger clone of himself while on the run from a corrupt private military company.
In 1997, Darren Lemke sold his pitch for Gemini Man after impressing Don Murphy with an unproduced spec script. Warner Bros. Pictures pursued the project, but Walt Disney Pictures ultimately won out and Tony Scott would become attached to direct. Complications soon arose when the studio were planning how to make the film. The producers toyed with the idea of an actor play both roles through the use of visual effects, but Scott moved on from the film before any progress could be made.
The project was stuck in development hell, and saw many actors considered, such as Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, Chris O'Donnell, Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery, Clint Eastwood and Jon Voight. Many directors were also considered, before Lee finally signed in 2017, with Smith also joining. Like his previous film, the film was shot digitally at an extra-high frame rate of 120 frames per second (fps), modified for 3D, this time on modified ARRI Alexa cameras mounted on STEREOTEC 3D Rigs.
Again, due to the requirements needed, only 14 theaters in North America could show the film at a 120fps 2K 3D high-frame rate (two in Los Angeles, two in Chicago, and one each in Miami, Orlando, New Orleans, Denver, New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Baltimore and Houston). Even then, the film was shot at 120fps 4K 3D, which means no theater showed its intended vision. Lee said that 120fps 2K 3D felt like the necessary avenue to make “Junior,” Smith’s digital avatar, a soulful character who could also appear to beat the living crap out of a real actor in the film’s many fight sequences.
The film received negative reviews, particularly for its CGI and story. And like his previous film, the high-frame rate received polarizing reactions. Despite the presence of a big star like Will Smith, the film flopped with just $173 million worldwide, against its $138 million budget, and losing an estimated $111 million for Paramount. Lee's attempt at high-frame rate was just not clicking with the public.

• Budget: $138,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $48,546,770.
  
• Worldwide gross: $173,469,516.
  

The Future

His next film, as confirmed in November 2022, is a Bruce Lee biopic. The lead actor will be Mason Lee, Ang's son. And he suggested he's not done with the 120fps high-frame rate, claiming he would continue using it in his next film for action sequences.

MOVIES (FROM HIGHEST GROSSING TO LEAST GROSSING)

No.	Movie	Year	Studio	Domestic Total	Overseas Total	Worldwide Total	Budget
1	Life of Pi	2012	20th Century Fox	$124,987,023	$484,029,542	$609,016,565	$120M
2	Hulk	2003	Universal	$132,177,234	$113,107,931	$245,285,165	$137M
3	Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon	2000	Sony	$128,530,421	$85,446,864	$213,978,518	$17M
4	Brokeback Mountain	2005	Focus Features	$83,043,761	$95,019,405	$178,064,141	$14M
5	Gemini Man	2019	Paramount	$48,546,770	$124,922,746	$173,469,516	$138M
6	Sense and Sensibility	1995	Sony	$43,182,776	$91,400,000	$134,582,776	$16M
7	Lust, Caution	2007	Focus Features	$4,604,982	$62,486,933	$67,091,915	$15M
8	Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk	2016	Sony	$1,738,477	$29,192,507	$30,930,984	$30M
9	Eat Drink Man Woman	1994	The Samuel Goldwyn Company	$7,294,403	$17,000,000	$24,294,403	N/A
10	The Wedding Banquet	1993	The Samuel Goldwyn Company	$6,933,459	$16,700,000	$23,633,459	$1M
11	The Ice Storm	1997	20th Century Fox / Disney	$8,038,061	$7,973,914	$16,011,975	$18M
12	Taking Woodstock	2009	Focus Features	$7,460,204	$2,515,533	$9,975,737	$30M
13	Ride with the Devil	1999	USA Films	$635,096	$0	$635,096	$38M
14	Pushing Hands	1991	Lionsgate	$152,322	$0	$152,322	N/A

Across 14 films, he has made $1,727,122,572 worldwide. That's $123,365,898 per film.

The Verdict

Despite his past two films getting two of the worst reviews in his career, Lee has proved himself to be a very reliable director.
Something impressive about him is the versatility in his resume. A comic book film, a survival film, a LGBT film, a wuxia film, a sci-fi film, a post-war film, a Jane Austen film, a noir film, an erotic NC-17 thriller, a Western, and some romantic comedies. Even if some don't fully work, there's still some good and interesting aspects in him. And of course, the first Asian director to win 2 Oscars for Best Director. So if he wants to continue with the controversial 120fps high-frame rate, let him cook. Hopefully in more and more theaters worldwide.
Hope you liked this edition. You can find this and more in the wiki for this section.
The next director will be Zack Snyder. Oh boy. This is where the fun begins.
I asked you to choose who else should be in the run and the comment with the most upvotes would be chosen. Well, we'll later talk about... John McTiernan and Rob Reiner. Whaaaaat? Two posts for the price of one? You're welcome! It was a very tight race, and it was tough to choose one or the other. The former has the dishonor of going to director jail and real jail, while the latter had an incredible run before completely crashing with one of Roger Ebert's most hated films.
This is the schedule for the following four:

Week	Director	Reasoning
June 10-16	Zack Snyder	RIP Inbox.
June 17-23	Tony Scott	Action films have not been the same ever since his death.
June 24-30	Roland Emmerich	The King of disaster films.
July 1-7	John McTiernan & Rob Reiner	The rise and fall of two once-great directors.

Who should be next after McTiernan and Reiner? That's up to you.

Nathan Wolfe (Rothschild-Epstein-Maxwell asset) of DARPA/EcoHealth/Gates Foundation ran the COVID-19 creation operation with Peter Daszak of EcoHealth via the Global Virome Project (Wuhan Lab). Nathan Wolfe dedicated his book "Viral Storm" to Israeli spy Jeffrey Epstein and Bill Gates and is BFF with Israeli spy Ghislaine Maxwell.
"Did virus hunters cover up a lab leak?" (Good article about the Global Virome Project headed by Nathan Wolfe and Peter Daszak) https://archive.is/G8Lp8
"Hunter Biden's Ukraine BioLab Partner (Nathan Wolfe) Was Partners With Ghislaine Maxwell" https://archive.is/0BxQM
Documentary on Nathan Wolfe: https://youtu.be/Q8UgtUtDDp8?si=rtVbLNeSElmDwTkz
Bill Gates 9/4/19 $55 million BioNTech mRNA vaxx creator investment: https://archive.is/IP0b9
Elon/Grimes 9/4/19 tablet: https://archive.is/s7kJT
Former EcoHealth VP Andrew Huff September 2019 DARPA weird job offer: https://twitter.com/AGHuff/status/1492249880546398215
Former EcoHealth VP Dr. Andrew Huff legal declaration confirming EcoHealth funded by Bill Gates and CIA (In-Q-Tel) and that Peter Daszak told him he was working with CIA: https://archive.is/iZL1N
"Redfield: COVID-19 Was in Wuhan in September or October 2019: Former CDC director also tells CNN that the virus likely escaped from a lab"
https://www.med pagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/91843 - https://archive.is/YsEui
"COVID-19 might have started to spread in September 2019 in the United States: study"https://archive.is/NpOqY

On the 12th Sep 2019, the main database of samples and viral sequences of the Wuhan Institute of Virology went offline. Eventually every single of the 16 virus databases managed by the WIV was taken offline.

https://archive.is/i79eW
Here's former CDC director Robert Redfield under oath before the Congress on Wuhan Lab September 2019 events:
https://www.youtube.com/live/aXXWRaM-sWQ?feature=share

I will say if you go back and look, it's declassified now, and I'm sure you all have your classified briefings, but the declassified information now:
In September of 2019, three things happened in that lab, one is they deleted the sequences, that was highly irregular, researchers don't usually like to do that
Second thing they did was they changed the command and control of the lab from the civilian control to the military control. Highly unusual, and I've been involved in dual use labs when I was in the military.
And the third thing they did which I think is really telling is they let a contractor redo the ventilation system in that laboratory. So I think clearly there was strong evidence that there was a significant event that happened in that laboratory in September. It's now been declassified, you can read it. I'm sure there's more classified information around it.

Scientist Richard Ebright

The relevance of this is that SARS Cov-2, the pandemic virus, is the only virus in its entire genus of SARS-related coronaviruses that contains a fully functional cleavage site at the S1, S2 junction. And here is a proposal from the beginning of 2018 [from Fauci/Gates-funded EcoHealth Alliance] proposing explicitly to engineer that sequence at that position in chimeric lab- generated coronaviruses.

• Richard Ebright, an eminent molecular biologist at Rutgers University, https://archive.is/cCBUw

Eminent Virologist David Baltimore of CalTech

When I first saw the furin cleavage site in the viral sequence, with its arginine codons, I said to my wife it was the smoking gun for the origin of the virus. These features make a powerful challenge to the idea of a natural origin for SARS2.

• David Baltimore, an eminent virologist and former president of CalTech, https://archive.is/yalCe

Former CDC Director Robert Redfield:

I was concerned because of the presence of the furin cleavage site that we've talked about and I think it's important to understand what that cleavage site does. That cleavage site totally changes the orientation of the binding domain of COVID, so where before it could not see the ACE2 receptor which is the human receptor, it totally changes the orientation now so it has high affinity for human receptors. So that furin cleavage site bothered me, it didn't seem like it belonged there.
And then if you look at the sequences they use in those 12 nucleotides for arginine, where the arginine sequence nucleotide triplet were coded for humans. So why did it have the arginine coding for humans and not bat? It was very disconcerting to me. It looked like this virus was engineered.
It's not scientifically plausible that this virus went from a bat to humans and became one of the most infectious viruses that we have for humans.

Scientist Valentin Bruttel:

I tried to raise awareness to this for a year now. WIV use BsaI and BsmBI/Esp3I sites before to make synthetic WIV1 variants. And exactly those sites appear in a "silently introduced, perfect for synthetic assembly" pattern in SARS2, but non of its nat. relatives.
seriously, what is the chance that exactly those type IIs restriction appear or disappear through random evolution in a Banal-20-52 like virus? 5-6 precise mutations in 30000bp? about 1 in 10^20! SARS2 is clearly synthetic!

Type Ils restriction sites prove a synthetic origin
Synthetic RNA viruses are assembled at the DNA level and later transcribed. 30,000 nucleotides cannot be synthesized in one go. These viruses are therefore assembled from smaller, 2- 8,000 nucleotide long pieces. Specific DNA restriction sites are often added to later reassemble the individual building blocks in the correct order. It is also technically possible to hide these interfaces (No See'em), but this was not done in the WIV.
In a 2017 paper, two very specific, particularly suitable type Ils restriction enzymes were used at the WIV. These have the advantage that they can produce different DNA overhangs (sticky ends), which are crucial for a correct assembly of the complete genome: Bsal and BsmBI.
SARS2 shows a Bsal and BsmBI restriction site pattern which is ideal for assembling synthetic viruses and to later replace the spike protein or furin cleavage site.
Bsal and BsmBI restriction sites also exist in closely related viruses (Banal20-52, RaTG13), but these are distributed in such a way that an artificial virus could never be generated using the methods established at WIV 2018/19.
The probability that the required 5 synonymous mutations, which enable a synthetic assembly of SARS2, arose purely by chance is less than 1 in 10²⁰ or about as likely as winning the lottery jackpot 3 times in a row.
Dr. Valentin Bruttel
https://twitter.com/VBruttel/status/1566365635680124929?t=koDQ9poynY6I9qSchgQAnw&s=19

Well...how about that? I can honestly say I have never observed a real time M-Class flare like that. No doubt they have happened. There is nothing new under the sun after all. Its a matter of observation window. You can research all the historical data, the summaries, the reports, you want. You can get an idea of what happened by doing so. You can see the high water marks on the stats we all know and love. If you pulled up this event in historical data, you would see its impressive, but you would not know that an M9.7 set off not one, but two filament eruptions in close proximity. The shockwave was beautiful.
Either way, it is far different than watching in real time. Part of that is the simple amazement and awe at the power of our star and the foundations of the cosmos. The other part is the uncertainty. A historical event or flare is a done deal. Cased in records to be revisited, but a closed case nevertheless. Real time is different. Real time allows one to capture the nuance and learn far more than a historical record can teach. This is one of those. For anyone who had slept on M-Class flares prior to this one, your alarm is ringing. Hell this goes for me too. With the flurry of X-Class flares week after week, I have not done many write ups on M-Class flares in real time, especially at 1 AM after a hard week. However, we have said it many times. There is much more to an event than flare magnitude. Yes, even I am surprised that an M-Class eruption could produce a proton event so easily, and an S3 at that, even if briefly before settling back into strong S2 levels. We will get into that. I understand that some have some questions about radiation storms. But first...we have a CME!
Last night I wrote that details would become more clear this morning. I am glad I waited. This M9.7 created a wide burst CME with formidable density and respectable velocity. STEREO A is showing a density spike of around 50 p/cm3!!!! where as Earth is showing closer to 25ish. Both are showing velocity between 500-700 km/s. STEREO B is showing a lesser glancing blow. Arrival is slated for 6/10 11:00 UTC +/- 7 hrs. DONKI has an ensemble Kp Range of 4.25-6.5
DONKI SCORECARD Kp4.25-Kp6.5 - Average of all methods
Is a repeat of 5/10 in the cards? No. From my perspective, this is still a glancing blow owing to the location it was ejected on the limb and because the bulk of it appears to go north. Not only that but early May saw a train of CMEs which all had impacts to the magnetic field of earth. In this case, STEREO A is modeled to take the bulk of it. If the CME arrives as modeled, and no guarantee there, STEREO A, which is located slightly ahead of us, will take the bulk of it. Earth taking something more than a glancing blow, but not a direct hit, and a true glancing blow for STEREO B which is trailing earth. We are talking a matter of degrees. If the CME is slightly faster or slower, it could alter the outcome. What you need to know is that there is a CME headed our way and its powerful. Models show that earth and its respective probes will experience it. The fine details as to who gets the bulk of it will only be determined in real time. All we have is models, so models we run to, but know that the possibility exists for a more direct or less direct hit than modeled.
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/wsa-enlil-solar-wind-prediction
S3 RADIATION STORM
This event produced the first S3 solar radiation storm of Solar Cycle 25. The last S3 occurred on 9/11/2017 in Solar Cycle 24. We currently reside at strong S2 levels.
https://preview.redd.it/d1z0vta0ld5d1.png?width=1152&format=png&auto=webp&s=43cdf5d76eed50c17e8735890ab6e2fbd135acc9
Proton events are somewhat difficult for the beginner to understand. They ask veterans why some events produce proton radiation storms and why some don't and its a complicated multi faceted answer that boils down to the sun being able to do whatever it wants. There are several factors which can lend influence to the creation of proton events. Proton storms develop rapidly. When they occur, protons are accelerated to near light speeds. Generally they arrive at earth between 10 and 30 minutes after emission. Not quite as fast as photons which are closer related to light itself, than a proton accelerated to near light speeds. Complex magnetic field lines and more direct magnetic field lines to earth can often facilitate these powerful events. An eruptive flare producing a CME is more likely to produce a proton storm, but again not always. Earlier this year, there were a train of X-Class flares center disk with no CME between them and only proton storms. The tell tale sign of a proton event other than the proton count going up is the snowglobe appearance of the coronagraphs. If you look at C2 or C3 and its snowy, you are seeing radiation.
https://preview.redd.it/atd8ejdbpd5d1.png?width=822&format=png&auto=webp&s=01b6252a132f28429498ce84ee093565c1d63042
This proton event was somewhat unique because it happened on the limb, but as u/naturewalksunset pointed out, the magnetic field lines and solar wind were favorable for a connection to earth. The event set off 2 large filament eruptions which supercharged the entire sequence. I also think we have to consider the source. Who else but AR3664/3697? This AR has a storied history, but has clearly taken a step back. Yet even in its geriatric state, it screams into the solar wind: "forget me not". However, we had watched these filaments for over a week waiting for a big one to let loose, and it finally did. If this happened a few days ago, a repeat of May 10th (briefer maybe) would not have been out of the cards. The point I am making is that its a powerful active region that has been quieter recently, that also set off a chain of events. So. Many. Variables.
Most are surprised at the S3 nature of the storm. Myself included. There was even talk of a GLE which stand for ground level enhancement. This is when our particle detectors pick up the presence of particles generated by the event. This did not occur, but sure felt close. In any case, I do believe that meeting the S3 threshold would qualify this as a Solar Proton Event (SPE). If you have lurked around here around discussion of Miyake Events and the like, this is relevant. The reason we detect those Miyake Events is because the storm responsible created enough protons to generate an extremely and anomalously strong ground level enhancement where cosmic rays penetrate the polar regions and create the isotopes C-14 and B-10. Very powerful indeed.
What does an S3 radiation storm mean to YOU? Nothing really, unless you are in space, are flying in an aircraft in the polar regions, operate satellites, or you are a space weather geek. I would imagine that operations staff for airlines and sat operators have been monitoring the situation closely in the slim chance they would need to make adjustments. There has never been an S5 proton storm recorded in the years after 1976. There have been ten S4 events since then, with the most recent coming around Halloween October 2003. Big shocker there. There was a whopping 6 of them from 2000-2001. SC23 was really something folks. It should be noted that the 1989 event registered as an S4 as well.
CONCLUSION
NOAA has predicted G2 conditions from this event. I am slightly less conservative. I think a brief G3 could materialize. I think aurora watchers should be ready just in case this storm overperforms, like most have here as of late. The Aurora Guy on X was shooting auroral pillars in Kp2 conditions this past week. I have often seen people say that Kp index does not matter. I sort of chuckle at this. Yes, its not an indicator of whether you will or will not see an aurora, or whether the state beside you will. It is however an indicator of geomagnetic unrest on a planetary scale. Without *some" unrest, there is no aurora. It gets real confusing for folks when Kp4 is considered "active" but auroras are being sighted in Kp2 which is not considered active.
There does of course remain a chance for underperformance as well. As I stated above, STEREO B is showing much lower metrics compared to earth and STEREO A. Keep this in mind as you make your plans. There is nothing scary in the works here. Like I said, had this occurred 2 days earlier, we would likely take it directly, and G4+ would NOT be out of the cards. This was a very powerful event by any measure, sans X-Class aside. It also underscores the power of plasma filament releases, especially when they occur in combination with a powerful flare. Wow. This is why I do this. Days like this one. I am so grateful to share it with you all. I leave you with my latest Helioviewer capture in 304 AIA.
https://reddit.com/link/1db884video/gz2bp56qud5d1/player
Well I am headed out to do some fishing for the day. Wish me luck and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I will be back to update this post with any new developments or anything cool you might like.
Here are some links for those wanting to explore.
https://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/aiahmi/
https://soho.nascom.nasa.gov/data/Theate
https://kauai.ccmc.gsfc.nasa.gov/CMEscoreboard/
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/wsa-enlil-solar-wind-prediction

Nathan Wolfe (Rothschild-Epstein-Maxwell asset) of DARPA/EcoHealth/Gates Foundation ran the COVID-19 creation operation with Peter Daszak of EcoHealth via the Global Virome Project (Wuhan Lab). Nathan Wolfe dedicated his book "Viral Storm" to Israeli spy Jeffrey Epstein and Bill Gates and is BFF with Israeli spy Ghislaine Maxwell.
"Did virus hunters cover up a lab leak?" (Good article about the Global Virome Project headed by Nathan Wolfe and Peter Daszak) https://archive.is/G8Lp8
"Hunter Biden's Ukraine BioLab Partner (Nathan Wolfe) Was Partners With Ghislaine Maxwell" https://archive.is/0BxQM
Documentary on Nathan Wolfe: https://youtu.be/Q8UgtUtDDp8?si=rtVbLNeSElmDwTkz
Bill Gates 9/4/19 $55 million BioNTech mRNA vaxx creator investment: https://archive.is/IP0b9
Elon/Grimes 9/4/19 tablet: https://archive.is/s7kJT
Former EcoHealth VP Andrew Huff September 2019 DARPA weird job offer: https://twitter.com/AGHuff/status/1492249880546398215
Former EcoHealth VP Dr. Andrew Huff legal declaration confirming EcoHealth funded by Bill Gates and CIA (In-Q-Tel) and that Peter Daszak told him he was working with CIA: https://archive.is/iZL1N
"Redfield: COVID-19 Was in Wuhan in September or October 2019: Former CDC director also tells CNN that the virus likely escaped from a lab"
https://www.med pagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/91843 - https://archive.is/YsEui
"COVID-19 might have started to spread in September 2019 in the United States: study"https://archive.is/NpOqY

On the 12th Sep 2019, the main database of samples and viral sequences of the Wuhan Institute of Virology went offline. Eventually every single of the 16 virus databases managed by the WIV was taken offline.

https://archive.is/i79eW
Here's former CDC director Robert Redfield under oath before the Congress on Wuhan Lab September 2019 events:
https://www.youtube.com/live/aXXWRaM-sWQ?feature=share

I will say if you go back and look, it's declassified now, and I'm sure you all have your classified briefings, but the declassified information now:
In September of 2019, three things happened in that lab, one is they deleted the sequences, that was highly irregular, researchers don't usually like to do that
Second thing they did was they changed the command and control of the lab from the civilian control to the military control. Highly unusual, and I've been involved in dual use labs when I was in the military.
And the third thing they did which I think is really telling is they let a contractor redo the ventilation system in that laboratory. So I think clearly there was strong evidence that there was a significant event that happened in that laboratory in September. It's now been declassified, you can read it. I'm sure there's more classified information around it.

Scientist Richard Ebright

The relevance of this is that SARS Cov-2, the pandemic virus, is the only virus in its entire genus of SARS-related coronaviruses that contains a fully functional cleavage site at the S1, S2 junction. And here is a proposal from the beginning of 2018 [from Fauci/Gates-funded EcoHealth Alliance] proposing explicitly to engineer that sequence at that position in chimeric lab- generated coronaviruses.

• Richard Ebright, an eminent molecular biologist at Rutgers University, https://archive.is/cCBUw

Eminent Virologist David Baltimore of CalTech

When I first saw the furin cleavage site in the viral sequence, with its arginine codons, I said to my wife it was the smoking gun for the origin of the virus. These features make a powerful challenge to the idea of a natural origin for SARS2.

• David Baltimore, an eminent virologist and former president of CalTech, https://archive.is/yalCe

Former CDC Director Robert Redfield:

I was concerned because of the presence of the furin cleavage site that we've talked about and I think it's important to understand what that cleavage site does. That cleavage site totally changes the orientation of the binding domain of COVID, so where before it could not see the ACE2 receptor which is the human receptor, it totally changes the orientation now so it has high affinity for human receptors. So that furin cleavage site bothered me, it didn't seem like it belonged there.
And then if you look at the sequences they use in those 12 nucleotides for arginine, where the arginine sequence nucleotide triplet were coded for humans. So why did it have the arginine coding for humans and not bat? It was very disconcerting to me. It looked like this virus was engineered.
It's not scientifically plausible that this virus went from a bat to humans and became one of the most infectious viruses that we have for humans.

Scientist Valentin Bruttel:

I tried to raise awareness to this for a year now. WIV use BsaI and BsmBI/Esp3I sites before to make synthetic WIV1 variants. And exactly those sites appear in a "silently introduced, perfect for synthetic assembly" pattern in SARS2, but non of its nat. relatives.
seriously, what is the chance that exactly those type IIs restriction appear or disappear through random evolution in a Banal-20-52 like virus? 5-6 precise mutations in 30000bp? about 1 in 10^20! SARS2 is clearly synthetic!

Type Ils restriction sites prove a synthetic origin
Synthetic RNA viruses are assembled at the DNA level and later transcribed. 30,000 nucleotides cannot be synthesized in one go. These viruses are therefore assembled from smaller, 2- 8,000 nucleotide long pieces. Specific DNA restriction sites are often added to later reassemble the individual building blocks in the correct order. It is also technically possible to hide these interfaces (No See'em), but this was not done in the WIV.
In a 2017 paper, two very specific, particularly suitable type Ils restriction enzymes were used at the WIV. These have the advantage that they can produce different DNA overhangs (sticky ends), which are crucial for a correct assembly of the complete genome: Bsal and BsmBI.
SARS2 shows a Bsal and BsmBI restriction site pattern which is ideal for assembling synthetic viruses and to later replace the spike protein or furin cleavage site.
Bsal and BsmBI restriction sites also exist in closely related viruses (Banal20-52, RaTG13), but these are distributed in such a way that an artificial virus could never be generated using the methods established at WIV 2018/19.
The probability that the required 5 synonymous mutations, which enable a synthetic assembly of SARS2, arose purely by chance is less than 1 in 10²⁰ or about as likely as winning the lottery jackpot 3 times in a row.
Dr. Valentin Bruttel
https://twitter.com/VBruttel/status/1566365635680124929?t=koDQ9poynY6I9qSchgQAnw&s=19